Forbidden Love Series
by Catheryne
Summary: Leo and Piper have parted, yet mysteriously, a correspondence ensues. Leo. Piper. Dan. Prue. Phoebe. Peter. Sequel is up. Who is Peter talking to at night?
1. The Unmailed Letter

The Unmailed Letter

The unmailed letter flew out of the open window. The light paper floated in the air and rose, rose. It caught at a tree but was blown away until it reached the clouds. The letter burst higher still until it lay on his floor. He began to read the wind-carried message that felt oddly intended for him.

__

This isn't going to make me need you any less. And this sure isn't helping me forget about you. I know that you told me to go on. And I'm doing that.

Day after unending day.

Minute after torturous minute.

Until I would sit in front of the clock and watch the long hand's pursuit of the short. I watch them near and kiss and draw apart, and near and kiss and draw 

apart again in that timeless dance of ill-fated lovers. Hour after painful hour.

If fate expected us to live like this, then she is too cruel. I know that we shouldn't be together. But if that's really so, why do we exist at all? Why do we live when the stars have written out that we have no course to follow, no other path to tread, except for that which leads us to the other? Are we being taunted?

I wonder what it is that you're doing right now. I wonder if you will look at the sky and confide your feelings to the stars. That is what I will whisper to the moon tonight--that I long for you.

Someone told me once that there is nothing in the world more tragic than never finding the one meant for you. Heartily I agreed. But I was a child then. I no longer am.

Today I know that something exists that is more painful than never finding. I'm unfortunate to have gotten so familiar with it. Nothing on this earth, or on any other, is worse than finding the one who fulfills the void in your soul, then loving him and being loved by him, only to discover that you cannot be together, that snatches of time in an eternity is all that you can afford.

He traced the outline of a dried tear on the thin paper and sighed. The paper crumbled in his hands. The travel from Earth must have made it too brittle. It doesn't matter. The words were etched in his heart. He could recite it by heart. Even without knowing to whom it was for or from whom it was, he took out a pen and stationery and began his reply…

The open window of her room let in the leaves blown in by the cool autumn breeze. And then a piece of paper flies in. The letter slides to the table and then onto the floor, hiding under the bed, seeking comfort from the darkness.

She came in tired and sleepy. Almost immediately she fell onto the bed and closed her eyes. What force drove her to look under the bed, she would never know. Still, she squinted at the dark hollow beneath and could glimpse the flash of white. She reached out and took the paper and began to read.

__

I have no way to stop this pain inside you, for I am also dying.

There has never been a moment that I do not think of you. I am thankful. I am grateful everyday that I have the memories to see me through. Yet there are those moments, such as now, that I curse those little details that make me ache all the more.

What are you doing right now, I wonder? Are you thinking of me?

I told you not to, but how can I expect you to follow a rule that even I have broken a million times over, and continue to break a thousand times every minute?

The stars have become my best friends. Whenever I weep, they shine more brightly through the tears. Sometimes I lull myself into thinking that I am looking at your eyes. 

And that we never parted.

I am not good with words. I cannot write you a poem or a song to show you just how much I long for you. All I know to say is I love you. And I have said it a million times before. But love doesn't seem to matter anymore. We're being driven apart by a power well beyond us. We've struggled. We've fought. We've rejoiced and despaired at every reunion and at every division. And to keep us from suffering through another forced parting, I reluctantly tore myself away.

May Mercy grant that I have enough courage to stay away, for the moment I touch you again, I may never let go.

She closed her eyes and tried to picture him, her angel. Very slowly she opened them and told herself not to be a fool. Letting go means not having to remember, because remembering will make her ache even more. He had told her this before he went. He tells her this every night in her dreams. She shakes herself free from the thought. No dreams. She doesn't dream of him. Not anymore. Or at least she would never admit it to herself.

She wrapped the blanket more tightly around herself. They told her that he dropped by again, but she didn't come downstairs to speak to him, or even smile at him. She had no patience for it. It was not him that she wanted to see. Let him go back inside his house and mope around. She had no use for his kindness, or for his unending generosity that resembles that of a brother.

She missed the fire that only her angel could bring. Help me! But there wasn't much anybody could do.

"Why don't you insist on staying here? At least brighten up the room a little." The drapes were pulled open and she squinted at the brightness.

"I'm thinking."

"Of him?"

"Who else?"

"Don't. He doesn't deserve it."

"You don't understand."

"He shouldn't have left you."

"He needed to. It was the only way."

Her sister took her hands and pulled her towards the full length mirror. "No body has the right to leave anyone like this. Look at yourself."

She averted her eyes. There was no use. She already knew what was reflected there. 

"You're a shadow. Nobody deserves this. Not you. Not even the man who does everything to make you come to him. He understands what happened. He'd been coming here for you everyday."

"Who told him?"

"We did."

"He knows…everything?"

"Everything."

"And he still comes."

"Because he loves you."

"I don't love him."

"A man like that… It doesn't take long to learn." She took clothes from her cabinet. "Will you think about it?"

"I will."

He read the letter over and over again, disbelieving. How could this be? There was no logical explanation for her to think these things. Whoever it was that she was crying out to, she must love him very much. Once more, he traced the trail of dried tear that served as the signature of the writer. He shook his head, deeply disturbed of what he had read.

__

The planets must be against me. There is no other explanation. But even as I claim this I know that it is foolish. My despair are all my own. My mistakes, committed by myself. And now even as I cry out I know he would never hear me. Because this is what we have decided upon.

We've told ourselves that we can manage our time apart. And in reality I haven't even tried.

It breaks my heart that you are gone.

And now I will try to finally do as you asked. Today I'll bury your memory, because that is where it belongs—deep within the recesses of our minds—back there in the dark where it will not find its way out. 

I know I must look forward to this, but I find that I cannot. I am still yearning for you with all my heart. Because whenever I close my eyes, I see your smile. And whenever I breathe, it's your scent that fills me.

I cannot delve into this anymore. I must forget. I keep telling myself this but it seems that you were right. I am a stubborn woman. I am determined too, so on by one I burn those thoughts of you. I will do this, even if for only to relieve those who love me of their worries.

Who knows? If I learn to love him with even a piece of the heart I've dedicated to you, it would be more than enough.

He paced. This is where failure stems from. When one settles for the second best, the betrayal begins. He was sure that Cupid must be hyperventilating right now. Someone must save this girl from committing the greatest act of sin against Love.

"You're still so beautiful."

"Thank you."

"I cannot imagine any reason in the world that's worth leaving you for."

"How about a reason higher than any on Earth?"

He laughs softly. "Only Heaven can keep me away from you."

She smiled. "Then it must be Heaven."

"Your sisters tell me that you've not been feeling well."

"I heard that my sisters actually told you everything."

"Yeah well," he coughed, embarrassed. Why should he be embarrassed? He'd done nothing wrong. "They did."

"How's your niece?"

"Her parents sent for her."

"Oh. It must be very lonely for you these days then. Oh, are these yours?" She touched the petals of the two dozen roses arranged on the tall glass vase.

"You don't want to talk about it, do you?"

"Is it that obvious?"

"No. I just know you. You may not admit it to yourself, but I understand you."

"Go away, Dan. You don't need this."

"I think it's up to me to decide what I should or shouldn't have."

"Do you really need this burden? Do you really want to be saddled with this? You're a handsome, free man who has a future ahead of you. You shouldn't be tied down with a problem you didn't even ask for."

"Do I look like a man trembling and running away? I want this. I want to take care of you."

He was standing in front of her. And he touched her pale lips with a finger. Slowly he traced the hollows beneath her eyes and swore that he would take care of her. Her eyes closed, and he smiled. She must be very tired. He was glad his hands could calm her. She stood in front of him, letting him touch her. She smiled, and he took it as enjoyment. She was imagining her angel again. She remembered the time when he gave her a massage, or all those times when he touched her face.

"I want to take care of both of you."

She entered her room a couple of hours later. She was tired. She hoped she doesn't have an attack of migraine tonight. Her life was complicated enough as it was. She didn't need that splitting headache that has been bothering her ever since he left half a year ago.

Why should she be afraid to say his name? Oh yes. She didn't want to get too familiar with it again. She has to push him back in her mind because remembering was needing. A breeze blew inside and she hurried to close the windows. As she shut it, a paper was caught in between. How could it be? She took the letter and read it.

__

There's nothing wrong with wanting to get over pain.

I find myself doing my best to forget about love but I have no success in such. I've learned to love someone I shouldn't love. And it has brought me great pain. But at the same time I regret nothing because loving her was the most exhilarating moment of my life. It was the best part of my existence.

I read your words and suddenly my vision clears. It has been blurred for the past half year. I speak as a man whose vision has been restored. Do not let others affect your way of thinking.

It is up to you if you want to settle for less. But I assure you that you will be committing a grave injustice to Love. For when you've found the one for you, you must fight for that beloved for all eternity.

She closes her eyes. "You can speak like that, because you're distanced. If you were a piece on this chess I am in now, you would be running for cover as we speak." She walked towards the mirror and looked at herself. She was pale and frail. "If you could see me now, I wonder what you would do." She turned to her side and looked at her rounded belly. "You had no right to leave me like this. But then again, you had no idea, had you?" She ran her hands over the mound. "Our neighbor knows, baby, and he still comes and tells me that he'll take care of us." She walked over to the window and looked on as he entered his house. "Well, I would never consider this if it wasn't for you. But I know that he's a good man, and you need to have at least a father." 

"Honey, why don't you have some of this soup?"

"I don't want to."

"You didn't have lunch."

"I have no taste for food right now."

"Your doctor called. He said you missed your appointment today. He tells me it's important so he rescheduled you for later."

"All right, thank you. But right now I need to speak with Dan."

"What are you talking about? This has been my dream ever since I was a little boy. Of course I'm ecstatic!"

"Please. Just let me finish."

"Alright. I'm sorry. But this, this is overwhelming."

"I know." She motioned to the chair in front of her. "Sit down. As I said, if you really want to then I agree. I have no real choice left. I want my child to grow up with a father." She takes a deep breath. "But this is more than that. This time I'll be asking you a favor more than any other I've asked you before."

He took her hands between his. "What is it? Anything."

"And when you hear it, I want you to know that you're free to get out of our agreement."

"That would never happen."

"It may. Come with me today on an appointment. Then when we come home this afternoon, you can tell me is you're still in, or out."

"All right."

The bell rang, and he rose to answer it.

"Well hello, pretty neighbor boy. My sis around?"

"Come right in."

"Hey, Pheebs. What are you doing here?"

"Prue called and told me to remind you of your appointment."

"Actually, Dan and I were just leaving to go there."

"You're taking Dan?!" She looked at Dan's grinning face.

"Dan's taking me really, but what's the difference?"

"What's your schedule, Pipe?"

"She's on in thirty minutes."

"Alright, let me get my jacket." Before running for it, he kissed her on the lips, and she let him. Phoebe looked at her as though she were out of her mind.

"Go home, Phoebe. Let me make my own mistakes."

Whispering furiously, her younger sister responded, "If you know you're making a mistake, why still do it?"

"Someday, Pheebs, you'll understand me."

"Ready to go?"

"Yeah, sure. Come on out with us, Pheebs. You don't want to get locked in inside an empty house do you?"

At home, Phoebe waited for thirty minutes. Prue told her to call up the hospital and ask if Piper made it in time. She picked up the phone and dialed.

"Good afternoon. This is Phoebe Halliwell. I'd like to confirm if my sister was able to go to her appointment with Dr. Davis. Her name is Piper Halliwell."

"Well, you should try calling local 423, Miss. Dr. Davis isn't in this department."

"Isn't this obstetrics?"

"It is."

"My sister is having her baby checked with Dr. Davis."

"You must be mistaken, Miss Halliwell. Dr. Davis is our chief neurosurgeon."

He sat there on the waiting room chair, his head in his hands. "I just don't understand."

She took him into her arms. "It's life. I've known about it about the same time I got my pregnancy results."

He raised his head and looked at her with teary eyes. "Why didn't you tell anyone? Is this why he left?"

"He doesn't know."

"Don't you think this is a little unfair for him?"

"Do you want out?"

"No!"

"Then don't ask me these questions now."

"How long?"

"A few months."

"A few months. Alright. What about your sisters?"

"I don't want them to know."

"That will be hard, you know. Even after we get married they'd see you."

"You have a job offer in Portland."

"When you told me that you accepted my offer, I turned it down. I thought you would have wanted to stay close to them."

"Can you still accept it?"

"Yeah."

"I don't want you doing anything against your will."

"I thought this was a dream come true. He left. You agreed to marry me. And there's a baby on the way, I don't care whose. But now this."

"I know it's unfair to you—"

"How about the baby? What will I do when—"

"I know you'd be a wonderful father."

"Your sisters would want to see the baby when it's born. By that time, you'd—"

"We'll worry about it when that time comes."

"I don't believe this is happening."

"Shhh. It'll all work out." He buried his face on her heck and started sobbing softly. She closed her eyes. At least I've spared you this, Leo. For that I'm thankful.

__

There are days when I blame myself for letting you go. There are times when I am tempted to call out to you. I want you to hear my distress and come to the rescue. But I don't wish to be unfair. I want you safe. Sad, but safe. 

As I wait for that time to come, I wonder what it would have been like, had you been here. I ask myself why I ever let you go and tell myself again and again. That choice was for your own good.

I wonder how my child will grow up. I cry when I think of a graduation, a wedding, a birth of a grandchild that I would not be able to attend, that I would be depriving you.

But when I look into his eyes and see the hollowness inside, my heart tells me that I did good. I would spare you the months of agony that he would now go through. I don't wish to be unfair to him. I've given him an out. He wants so much to be a part of this, and whenever he smiles 

at me, I know I've given him fulfillment by making him suffer.

And now I begin to wonder if you would have wanted to be here, no matter how painful it is. Would you have chosen to stay with me? I have no doubt you would. But I also know that it would kill you more than it would him. 

Because that's just how we are. We're too much a part of the other. Now I look at is as if I'm only beginning to teach you how to live without me.

"I can't believe you're getting married!"

"Why do you act this way, you two? Prue, you were the one who told me to go with Dan. I'll learn to love him too."

"When do you move out?"

"That's another thing I wanted to talk to you guys about. We'll be living in Portland."

"What?"

He read the letter and crumpled it in his hands. How could he speak to her personally when he didn't even know whom it was from? She was making a big mistake. If the man loved her as much as seemed to think he did, then he had the right to know.

No more! He had to see Piper. He was going out of his mind. He orbed into the manor and found nobody home. He sought her with his mind and he immediately orbed into a function of some sort. His heart froze in his chest as he saw them. They were both seated on a presidential table at the front of the room. Why was she so thin and pale, dammit! She just got married! He saw the man slice the food carefully for her, and she daintily picked on it.

Her eyes moved unerringly to look into his from the distance. He saw her catch her breath. She must have seen the betrayal he felt in his eyes. He orbed immediately out of the room—and out of her life.

She never told anyone that she saw him that day. She moved with Dan to Portland, and the baby was due to arrive in a month. 

The letters have stopped. She never expected them to continue. It was only a strange coincidence that every letter she received from the wind was written as though it was meant for her alone.

Dan was the best husband she could have asked for. He went to work and arrived at seven every evening with something for her. From the moment he entered the door, he'd always ask the same things, "How's my baby and the mommy?" The days have become a ritual. She would greet him with a peck on the cheek and take his gifts.

She had never seen Dan cry. At least not until the night after their wedding. She was preparing a feast for him, because she owed him so much. She tinkered in the kitchen of their cozy home, and she felt the first prickles of pain. She shook her head and tried to ignore it. The phone rang.

"Hello."

"Hey sweetie! Phoebe and I wanted to make sure you two got there alright."

"Yeah, we did. Dan is the epitome of a careful driver."

"Well, we miss you."

"I miss you too."

When she had placed the receiver on the hook, her new husband arrived.

"Hey!"

"Hi. Come here and sit down, honey. I made you a big dinner."

She was carrying a bowl of soup to the table when all of a sudden, a blinding shaft of pain raced through her brain. She automatically grabbed at her head, and the bowl dropped. The sound of glass breaking filled the silence, and she felt the hot soup burn her feet.

"Ohhh. Ahh."

"Piper. Piper, are you alright?"

She clutched at his shirt and held on. "The pain. Dan, it's getting so much worse."

"We'll go to the hospital."

"They can't do anything about it. This is just how it goes. It'll stop in a while. Would you hold me? Ahh!"

"Shhh." Dan took her in his arms and rocked back and forth until the pain abated. "Is it gone?"

"Yeah," she answered weakly. She rested her head on his shoulder, unable to raise it so she could look at him.

"This will happen for the next months, won't it?"

"Until I die."

He didn't answer for a long while. "I'll be with you through this. God help me."

"Thank you."

"How will I be able to go through all this?"

She had finally gathered enough energy to face him. She lifted her hands and wiped away his tears. "Don't cry, Dan. If I knew you couldn't take it, I wouldn't have asked you."

"I can take it, Pipe. I just haven't thought of months watching you fall apart."

"Hey. Let me up. You haven't had dinner yet, and I made this all for you." 

"Let me help you."

"No. You sit down there and wait."

He watched her move around her kitchen. He picked everything out for her convenience, from the cabinets to the stoves to the smallest utensil. He'd have done everything for her. As she brought the mean over to the table, she caught him staring at her and blushed.

"I'm gonna miss you, Piper."

She wanted to cry, but all she could do was smile in return. That was the first time she saw him overcome with emotion. In the months following, she was to see it more often. As the pain got worse, they became more and more dependent on each other.

Every night, when the pain got out of hand, he'd hold her tightly on the bed, letting her scream as much as she wanted. He'd soothe her with stories that she hardly heard. Soon, they'd both fall asleep, crying, holding on to each other.

More than ever, she needed Leo. Every time she'd think of a way to call him, the pain would attack from behind, and in the aftermath, she would tell herself that she wanted to spare him from that.

"What is it?"

"A boy, Mr. Gordon. It's your first son." 

"My wife."

"She's inside. You may come in now."

Dan entered the room and saw her sleeping. He sat beside her bed and touched her hand. She was so pale now. All those sleepless nights were showing. Her lips looked so dead, but she was still beautiful to him.

"I wanted to die, Dan," she whispered.

"I thought you were asleep."

"No. I was just resting my eyes."

"It couldn't have been that bad, Pipe. Many women go through this without wanting to die."

"No, I meant, the past few weeks, I was praying for my death. This whole thing is too hard. It's painful for me. It's painful for you."

"No matter how painful they were, we were together. And I'm grateful for that. So don't say that. We'll take every single minute possible. If we can, we'll bargain for more."

"That's just what I mean. Before the baby was born, I just wanted to get this over with. Now I'm so scared. I don't want to go, Dan."

"I love you. Do you want me to call your sisters so they can come meet their nephew?"

"No! Look at me, Dan. They'd know at once. They can meet him after."

"We don't know how long that would be. Hopefully not very soon."

Piper closed her eyes and turned onto her side. "Ask them if I can have my baby, Dan."

Dan left and the phone rang. Piper groaned as she reached to pick it up.

"Hey! Why didn't you call us?"

"How did you know?"

"Phoebe had a premonition. No!" Prue was chuckling on the other line. "No one was answering your line at home so I called your neighbor. She said you two left yesterday for the hospital. What was it?"

"It was a boy, Prue."

"Oh! I am so excited! I can't believe it. Pheebs, it's a boy! So does he look like you or Leo?" Silence. "Piper, I'm sorry."

"Don't come here, you two. Dan and I have a few things to work out. We'll call you when you can come."

"Piper, I'm so sorry."

"It's fine, Prue. I'll tell you whose features the baby has as soon as I see him. And please forget that Leo's the father. I don't want my child growing up questioning who he is. I won't always be here to comfort him. I don't want it to be you and Phoe who confuses him."

"Hey, Pipe, look here. Is this a tooth?"

Piper opens her eyes and looks at Dan carrying Peter. "Sweetie, he's only three months old. He can't possibly be teething."

"Hmm. Yeah, you're right. Okay, I'll just bathe this little man." He bends to kiss her. "Are you going to write again? Would you like me to mail them for you?"

"No, no. It's just some scribbling. Nothing important."

"Will you make a letter for Peter? I want him to be able to read your writing when he's grown up."

"I have a box full of letters for Peter, Dan. When you teach him how to read, then he can practice on them. Did you have the film developed?"

"Yeah I did. You'll put them on the photograph album for me?"

"Of course. Let me hold the baby for a while, Dan." He hands her the baby, and she rocks him gently. "I hate this Dan. I hate this calm preparation we're doing. I hate accepting it like this. I can't even get up from the bed anymore without you to help me. It's telling me that this is almost over." And I still haven't seen him again. I haven't said goodbye.

"Piper, I love you and Peter. You have nothing to worry about. When it gets too painful, just let go. I'll take care of our son."

"Get him, Dan. It's starting again. Wash him, and don't get him out until it's over. I don't want him hearing me."

Dan took the baby from Piper and shut the door of their bedroom. He prepared the bath and began washing Peter. He could hear her screaming. He knew she was trying to be quiet, because most of her cries were muffled. He breathed in deeply, harshly. This would be over soon.

Dan took the baby inside the room. 

"Hello, mommy. We're all washed up." Dan stood in front of the bed and saw the photos scattered around a sleeping Piper. He smiled and put the baby on the cradle in the far side of the room. "Now be quiet, Peter Gordon. Your mommy's sleeping." He proceeded to pick the snapshots of Piper and Peter and stacked them on the table. He noticed that her head was not on the pillow. Gingerly, he lifted her head and put the pillow underneath.

He went to the baby. "Come on, Peter. Let's go downstairs. I don't want you suddenly yelling your head off and disturbing mommy."

He kissed Piper and took Peter downstairs. A few hours later, Dan woke to the shrill sound of the alarm he placed beside his head. His ears were ringing. Luckily, Peter seemed to be out of it. The baby never even stirred. It was five o'clock, time for Piper's medications. He ran to the kitchen for some water and took one look at Peter's position. No chance of him falling from that crib.

He opened the door to her room, surprised that she had not even moved.

"Honey. Honey, it's time for the capsule." She didn't move. His heart raced. He put down the water and the medicines and grabbed her hand. He felt for a pulse. There it was, faint but steady. She moved his head closer to her face. She was still breathing. They've been waiting for this. Piper has taken him step by step to what he should do when this happened. Like a robot, he called the hospital for an ambulance. He then packed some clothes in their overnight bag and called the neighbor to see if she can keep the Peter while they were gone. And then he added something else to the rote. Piper didn't want this, but there had to be some closure.

"Prue, you and Phoebe had better come right now. Drop everything. Get here as soon as you can."

"Why?"

"It's Piper."

"Is she letting us see the baby already? She's been pretty aloof since you two got married."

"For Heaven's sake, Prue, just get here. Do you have any idea how I can contact Leo?"

"Why do you ask?"

"I need him to be here too. Don't ask too many questions."

"Well, we'll call him for you."

"Fine. Get here as soon as you can."

Leo felt bereft. It has been months since she married him. He couldn't forget how they looked together. They were such a handsome couple, sitting there, behind the table. He almost wished he never left her.

He heard them calling his name. He orbed into the manor, looking at the two beautiful women he had not seen for very long.

"What is it?"

"You have to come with us to Portland. Dan called and he wants all of us there."

"No."

"No?"

"I will not go with you to see them. I don't want to see her in her new house. I don't want her to smile knowing that it's him that made her happy!"

"What if Piper needs us?"

"I'll orb you both there and then I'll leave."

"It's your choice, Leo."

"She probably won't wake up anymore. She'll slip away unconscious."

"So there's no chance that we'll have an extension?"

"I'm afraid, Mr. Gordon, that your wife has reached the stage where there's no going back. If she wakes up, then you could take it as a sign that there's a possibility. But in most cases even if the patients wake up, they still pass away that same time. So if there are anyone you think should be here, ask them to come. If Mrs. Gordon does wake up, encourage her to talk to you. I don't mean to dash your hopes, but it may well be for the last time. Even she knows that."

"I already did."

"Mrs. Gordon gave birth here not so long ago, didn't she?"

"Three months."

"Well Mr. Gordon, have your baby sent for. Maybe the child would comfort her while she's passing on."

Dan picked up the receiver and dialed.

"Mrs. Weaver? Yes, this is Dan Gordon. I'd like to ask you a favor. Could you bring Peter over to the hospital? Yes. Hi mother's not going to make it. I want him here at least. Thank you, ma'am. You'll never know how much this means to me."

"Here you are."

"In a hospital?"

"I'll leave now."

"Don't you even want to see how she is?"

"And risk knowing that she's pregnant? I don't think so."

Phoebe started to speak, but Prue hushed her. "You make your own choices, Leo. If you want to leave, then leave."

After asking for Piper's room number, Prue and Phoebe immediately went to the elevator, holding hands. They entered her room and were met by Dan, who looked harried.

"You'd better say your goodbyes to your sister."

"What's going on?"

"Brain tumor. She's known even when she was still with you."

"Why didn't she tell us?"

"She didn't want you to worry."

Phoebe ran to Piper's side. "Honey. Piper, honey."

"That's why you moved."

"Yes. Phoebe, she might not wake up."

"No, no. She must have been waiting for us, Prue. Look."

Piper's eyes fluttered open. "Hey. So Dan called you. I told him not to."

"What are you talking about? We want to be here. We'll help you pull through."

"Phoebe, I'm dying. I've known it for almost a year now. Why do you think I asked Leo to go?"

"Piper…"

"Dan. I—I want to see--my baby."

"Mrs. Weaver will bring him soon. Don't talk anymore. Conserve your energy."

Leo orbed into the hospital again. He couldn't help it. Now that he was so near, he couldn't help himself from going to her. He asked the information booth nurse for directions.

"I can't hold too long, Dan. Thank you for everything."

Dan held her hand and touched it to his lips. "My married life was beautiful, no matter how short it was."

"Don't cry. I told you. Don't cry," she whispered. "Take care of the baby, Dan. I know you will. I trust you."

"You'll never have to worry about Peter. I'll show him all the pictures and all the letters. I'll make him sit through the home videos we took. He'll never forget you, Piper."

Phoebe and Prue turned away. This was what real shock felt like then. They were both still numb.

"I love you, Piper."

"Thank you, Dan."

For the last time, Dan pressed his lips to hers. "Phoebe, Prue, I think you should talk to Piper now."

"Piper, sweetie. You should have told us. We would have wanted to be with you through all this."

"No. I didn't want you exposed to this. Dan should have done as I asked and called you only for the interment."

"We would have hated him for that. Piper, I love you."

"I love you, Piper."

"I love you guys."

Leo was looking for the room, walking briskly.

"Tell—tell Leo. Tell Leo that I—"

Leo turned the knob on the door and stepped in.

"love him."

"Piper? Piper? Dan, she—"

Dan rushed out to get the doctor and Leo stood there, staring in disbelief. He was pushed from the doorway when a team of nurses, interns and doctors rushed in to try and revive her. Leo ran his hands over his face. The medical team stopped and left.

"I wanted to see her."

"You're too late."

"I can see that."

Leo moved forward to look at the woman lying there, as pale as the sheets. "Dammit! Why didn't any of you tell me? Why didn't she come to me?"

"Mrs. Weaver. Thank you for bringing Peter over in such short notice." Dan took the baby into his arms.

"How is she?"

"She's gone, ma'am."

"Oh the poor girl. She's always been sad, hasn't she? Always looking out the window, flinging papers in the air." Leo glanced at the older woman. Mrs. Weaver walked over and brushed her hair away from her forehead. "Sleep tight, dear. Maybe you'll find up there what you've always been waiting down here for." The old woman patted Dan's arm. "You take care of your little boy now, Dan Gordon, or she'll never get her peace. I'll be outside if you need me."

Leo was looking at the child in Dan's arms. How long have they been married? Six months? 

"Look, Peter. There's mommy. Say bye mommy. Bye."

"Can I hold him?"

Dan hands the baby over to Phoebe, and Phoebe and Prue look down at the baby. "Hey, Peter." The baby opens his eyes wide and Phoebe catches her breath. She quickly looks at Leo.

"Give me Peter, Phoebe." Dan moves forward to take the child from her.

"Let me see the child, Phoebe." Since he was nearer, Leo was able to take the child from Phoebe. His own face stared back at him, the baby's hazel eyes unwavering as it met the bigger versions. "He's mine."

"It's my son, Leo. I can show you the birth certificate. I have all legal rights to keep him."

"A paper doesn't ensure paternity, Dan. You and I both know it's my baby."

"Leave, Leo."

Leo sat on his chair and closed his eyes. Piper was gone. He never even suspected. He had one last job to finish. He would never let Dan keep the only remaining part of Piper.

__

Dammit, sweetheart. Why didn't you tell me?

He ordered a plan in his mind. He would take the baby and raise him up here. Dan would never find him. But was that fair to Peter?

He saw a paper floating by the clouds, and he remembered that his window was closed. He opened the window and jumped up to grab it.

He received the shock of his lifetime. He saw his name carefully written on the top of the page.

__

To my angel

I don't know if you'll ever read this. I'm hoping that in some way, you already know. But I'm still writing this to keep myself sane. Not being able to talk to you is driving me mad.

Everytime I look at our child I remember what it was like to be held in your arms. Because he is so like you.

You must be wondering why I never told you about him. I didn't find out until you left. And I couldn't go through another goodbye. I know you would have come if you knew.

I never mentioned to you the pain and agony of the last months simply because I'm selfish. I didn't want you to see me like that. I take pride in being the most beautiful woman you've ever known. After all, you've been around a long time.

But most of all, Leo, I wanted to shield you. You didn't deserve to see me crumble. You didn't deserve to watch me die.

Darling, leave the baby to Dan. You and I both know his future is best secured as his son. Dan loves Peter. From the moment he saw him inside me, he'd seen Peter as his. Don't break his heart by taking the baby. He has done so much for me. There is no life for a growing boy up there. And Dan knows everything that I want for him. Dan will devote his time to Peter. If the two of us raised him, we would have destroyed him by our absences.

I chose him because I trust him. Believe me when I tell you that Dan would be an exemplary mother and father to Peter. He will allow you to see him whenever you want. I told him to make you godfather. But please do not confuse the child. He is Peter Gordon, Dan's son. I'm sure you will do and say nothing that would disturb our baby.

I love you.

Leo knocked on the Gordon's door five years later. Dan welcomed him inside with a smile.

"We've been waiting for you, Leo."

"Where's the little guy?"

"Hey, Peter! Uncle Leo's here!"

"Uncle Leo! Look what mom got me for my birthday last June." The boy came running the stairs.

Leo looked askance at Dan.

"It's one of the arrangements we made. A gift each year. She picked out everything and she hid them everywhere. The home videos tell him where to look."

They watched the child as he ran down the stairs. "Be careful!" They looked in horror as the toddler tripped and went flying. As the toddler went what? 

"Hey, look! I'm not falling!" Dan's jaw slackened. The child lost his grip on the miniature plane and it began to drop. "No! My plane!" In front of their disbelieving eyes, the plane stopped in mid air.

"What the—" Dan stared at Peter and the plane, blood leaving his face.

Leo grinned. Well Piper, you didn't really take this into consideration, did you? "Peter, come here to Uncle Leo." It seems that I have to take our son under my wing—literally—once and for all.

FIN


	2. Forbidden

forbidden Forbidden (1): The Arrival

Leo knocked on the Gordon's door five years later. Dan welcomed him inside with a smile.

"We've been waiting for you, Leo."

"Where's the little guy?"

"Hey, Peter! Uncle Leo's here!"

"Uncle Leo! Look what mom got me for my birthday last June." The boy came running the stairs.

Leo looked askance at Dan.   
Forbidden

"It's one of the arrangements we made. A gift each year. She picked out everything and she hid them everywhere. The home videos tell him where to look."

They watched the child as he ran down the stairs. "Be careful!" They looked in horror as the boy tripped and went flying. As the boy went what?

"Hey, look! I'm not falling!" Dan's jaw slackened. The child lost his grip on the miniature plane and it began to drop. "No! My plane!" In front of their disbelieving eyes, the plane stopped in mid air.

"What the—" Dan stared at Peter and the plane, blood leaving his face.

Leo grinned. Well Piper, you didn't really take this into consideration, did you? "Peter, come here to Uncle Leo." It seems that I have to take our son under my wing—literally—once and for all.

He looked at Dan, and saw that he was still having a hard time believing it. The child immediately grinned at Leo. "I can't, Uncle Leo."

"Put your arms to your sides slowly, Peter. Not so fast, or you'll fall."

The child did as told and slowly touched the floor. "That was good, Uncle." He immediately positioned himself under the plane. "Okay, plane, drop!" The child waited, and frowned. "I said drop, plane." His eyebrows creased and he looked at Leo imploringly.

"Remember what you did a while ago? With your hands? You don't need to tell the plane out loud what you want it to do." The boy concentrated again and again and finally, the freeze expired and it dropped on its own. "We'll have to practice your unfreeze next time, Peter."

"Yes, Uncle. Did you bring me anything?"

"I don't believe this." Leo had almost forgotten about Dan. He was so thrilled at the prospect of spending time with Peter. He's keeping his son now. There was no way Dan could possibly take care of a five year old boy with supernatural powers. "I don't believe this," Dan muttered.

"Come here, Peter." Peter immediately jumped up into Leo's arms. "Believe it, Dan. Peter's a very special boy. And I know you can't possibly care for him now. So I'm taking him."

"What are you talking about? You're not taking my son anywhere!"

Leo's jaw locked. He placed Peter down and stared at Dan squarely in the eye. "Go upstairs, Peter. I'll follow you later." The boy leapt and was floating again. Leo grinned. He saw the boy touch the floor at the highest step. He was such a fast learner. "Your son?"

"He's my son where it counts. Take him away and I'll have you arrested for kidnapping."

"My own son?"

"You know as well as I do that Piper wanted that boy with me."

"Are you blind? That boy has something you would never understand!"

Dan glared at Leo. "It doesn't matter. Piper left the boy to me and I'll be damned if I let myself get scared off and break my promise to her!"

"Shit!" Leo walked out and slammed the door. Dan sighed in relief. His mind was restless. He couldn't believe what he saw. And Leo took it so calmly! Peter was his son! He almost had a heart attack when the door suddenly burst open and Leo stood there, carrying his bags. "Where's your guestroom, Gordon? I'm moving in."   


Forbidden (2) : The Revelation

"What do you mean you're moving in?"

"Just that. I'm moving in." Leo walks inside and begins to climb the stairs.

"What gives you the right to move into Piper's and my house?"

Leo ignored the pain that stabbed through him at that reminder. He'd have a hard time already just staying with Dan. He didn't need to be told again that this was the house that Dan bought for her when they got married.

"I think the fact that my son is here is right enough."

"Leo, how many times do I have to tell you to shut up with that? I don't want Peter to hear. You can't disrupt his life like this! I want you to leave."

Leo puts down his bag and walks to face Dan. "My son needs me. Now I'm giving you a choice. I stay here and attend to whatever he needs to know in this house or I take this matter to court and demand that Peter be tested for paternity." Leo didn't want Peter thrown into a legal battle either, but he couldn't let Dan cut him out of his son's life when he was needed most.

"Fine." Dan gave up the argument. "You can stay in the room beside Peter's." Leo went upstairs to settle in. The phone rang, and he ignored it, waiting for the machine to pick it up.

"Hey, Dan! Phoebe and I were wondering if we could drop by this weekend and snatch Peter away. We're—" Dan picked up the phone.

"Yeah, Prue. Sorry about that. I was…taking a bath."

"It's okay. So what do you say?"

"When did I ever say no to you two? Anyway, I needed to talk with the two of you. When can I expect you? I'll prepare then."

Dan ran up the stairs two steps at a time when he found Leo standing outside Peter's door. "What is it?"

Leo motions for him to be quiet. "Do you hear that?"

"Oh, that. That's just Peter talking to himself. He does that often."

"And you're not worried? You should be talking to him about—"

"Look, Wyatt. I agreed to this because you gave me no choice. But never, never tell me how to raise Peter."

"Aren't you even a bit concerned after seeing what you saw down there?"

Dan sighed. "I've seen weird things in my life, but this tops it all. Don't get me wrong, I'll always love Peter, no matter what. So what is he?"

"Well, Dan, as I told you before, he's a very special boy." Dan didn't reply. "Piper's a witch."

"She's the loveliest, most generous person I've ever known."

"I didn't mean like that witch. I mean, she has powers. Had," he corrected himself.

"Let me guess. Prue and Phoebe are too, aren't they?"

"That's right."

"So nobody ever told me this before for some important reason. What makes it alright for you to tell me now?"

Leo glanced at the door again. "Truthfully, I'm trying to scare you enough to release Peter into my care. I can take care of him the way you could never do."

"Don't insult me. Now this brings me to my next question. Why do you know?"

"I know because I was their whitelighter." Leo continued on with his lengthy explanation, and Dan never once blinked an eye. It would have been better if he yelled, Leo thought. Because by his silence, Leo couldn't figure out if he was following or not. When it was over, Dan ran his hands over his eyes.

"So Peter's—"

"Born of a witch and a whitelighter. Do you think you'll give him to me now?"

"He's my son."

"Actually—"

"Fine! But I told you. I'll never break a promise. Piper will always look for our son from me."

"Then I'm staying." Dan knocked on the door and opened it. Leo and Dan walked in. "Hey buddy, what're you doing?"

"I'm playing with mommy's plane."

"We thought you were talking to somebody."

"Oh yes. I was talking to a lady."

"What lady?"

"The lady who always visits me after daddy tucks me in."

"Peter, son, there's no lady in this house. You must have been dreaming of your mommy again. How did she look like?"

"Pretty."

"See? I knew it. That was your mommy. You were dreaming."

"Hey, I have news."

"What news, Uncle Leo?"

"I'm staying with you and your… and Dan for a while."

The little boy whooped in delight. "In my room?"

"No." The boy frowned. "In the one beside this."

"That's across from mommy's."

Leo looked askance at Dan. "I converted our bedroom to Piper's and moved to the other one. I couldn't stay there after—" Dan cleared his throat. "Okay, Petey, I gotta go for a while. I'll call Mrs. Weaver to stay with you, ok?"

"Awww, daddy. Don't call me Petey."

"What's the need? I'm here. I'll look after Peter."   


Forbidden (3): One Bleeding Heart and a Fairy Tale

Leo entered the room across from his after Peter fell asleep. The moment he entered, he sensed her presence. The room was full of framed pictures of Piper and Peter, all taken by Dan obviously. He walked towards the dresser and sat down. He pulled open the drawer. Her brushes, lipstick and make up were all there. On the table her favorite comb sat. He touched it. Instantly he knew that Dan touched nothing here except for his own things for five years.

He padded over to the closets. He opened them and touched her clothes. Curious, he opened a box at the bottom and pulled out a maternity gown. He pressed the cloth against his face and breathed in.

"Piper." His heart was getting heavier and heavier. "I miss you so damn much. Time doesn't dull the pain at all."

"Uncle Leo?"

He turned around and saw Peter standing by the door. "What are you doing up, Peter?"

"I was thirsty."

"I'll get you some water."

"Why were you crying?"

"I miss your mommy."

"Oh I do that too, especially when I'm here. Because I don't remember all those pictures. And daddy says that that's mommy, and that baby's me."

"He was right, your daddy."

"Yup."

"Wanna go grab some ice cream?"

"Won't daddy be mad?"

"Nah." Leo picks the boy up and brings him to his room. "I'll handle your daddy. Peter." He started changing the boys clothes.

"Yes, Uncle Leo?"

"Why don't you call me daddy too? Uncle Leo's quite a mouthful for a little boy like you."

"Is it okay with daddy?"

"Only when your dad's not around."

"Ok."

"And you know what you did to your plane?"

"I stopped it," the boy boasted.

"I don't want you doing that to both your dad and me, okay?"

"I know. The lady told me."

"Peter, you have to get over this lady business. There's no lady in this house. There's only you and me and Dan."

"But there really was a lady in my room. She had long brown hair and she smiles very prettily."

"Like how."

"Just like mommy."

"You never met your mommy."

"But she looked just like mommy."

"But mommy's gone, Peter."

"I know! Let's go visit mommy instead of going for ice cream."

Leo smiled at Peter's eager face. He'd never met a kid who wouldn't trade ice cream for anything. "That's a good idea! Come on. We'll buy some flowers."

The boy grinned back at his father, and Leo couldn't help but be amazed at how alike their features were. "We have flowers already, Unc—daddy." Leo felt a thrill go up his spine upon hearing the word. "My other dad made mommy a garden at the back. You always come here but you never see it."

The boy pointed in the direction of the kitchen. Leo walked forward with Peter in his arms. Not long after, he was able to see the door at the far side of the room. He opened it and caught his breath. The scent filled his nostrils and he closed his eyes.

"Dan did this for Piper?" The question was rhetorical, but his son answered anyway.

"Daddy and mommy started planting even before I was born," the boy narrated as if from memory. "And mommy would sit over there when she was tired," pointing to a dusty wooden rocking chair beneath the trellis, "and let daddy massage her feet. She was always tired," the child matter-of-factly related. "She was having me and she was very sick."

Sometimes Leo envied Peter for not having known Piper. Never being able to touch her or stay close to her, Peter didn't drown in memories every time she was talked about. But then again Leo pitied the boy for that same reason. He would never trade those memories for another lifetime.

"But mommy died so daddy was left alone with me. Daddy always went here to cry and he would give me to Mrs. Weaver because he didn't like to see me."

"That's not true, Peter. Dan loves you more than anything in the entire world."

"But he always leaves me."

Leo begins cutting flowers to bring to Piper. "Let me tell you a story. Once upon a time there was a king and a queen who had a beautiful baby boy, whose name was Peter." The boy grinned, and Leo was encouraged. "But a bad person came—"

"A witch!"

Leo laughed softly. "No. Witches aren't necessarily bad, you know."

"But when daddy reads me a fairy tale, it's always the witch who's the bad one."

"Not in my stories. In my stories, witches are beautiful and nice and generous and loving."

"What's the bad ones called then?"

Leo thought for a while and grinned. "Demons."

"Oh."

"Shall I continue?" The boy nodded eagerly. "So the bad person, the demon, comes and makes her very sick. The kind didn't know what to do. He called the doctors in the whole kingdom, but none could save the queen. And the queen told the king not to let the prince, Peter, starve or want for anything. So the king worked and worked and worked so his promise to the queen would not be broken."

Leo stopped and waited for the child to get his drift. "And then what happened?"

Leo cleared his throat. He wasn't really used to the little kids. He'd have thought Peter got the moral of the story by now. "And then he was hurt because he thought that his daddy didn't like him. And he went to the garden with his other dad and—" Leo saw the boy hang his head and blush. He sighed in relief. "So let's go?" The boy nodded, and Leo took his son's small hand in his and orbed.   


Forbidden (4): The Discovery

"I cannot believe you made me bring all these stuff, Prue. These clothes are too heavy!"

Prue batted her eyes at her sister. "Thank you for being so nice, Phoebe."

"Vanity is a sin, you know."

"Come on, lighten up."

Prue and Phoebe stepped onto the foyer and rang the bell. They waited several minutes and heard cursing from inside the house. Phoebe shook her head dramatically. The door finally opened to reveal an aproned Dan carrying a spatula with a big growl that quickly faded when he saw who they were.

"Hey, sis—"

Prue burst out laughing, and Phoebe tried very hard to contain her smile. "Got hit by a flour truck?"

"Come in, girls. I need your help. Someone in this house is finicky about his food and I can't seem to get this right. Taste this, will you? What's it lacking?" He led them to the darkened kitchen.

"What happened?"

"Light blew out. Don't worry about it. It'll be fixed in no time. So what's wrong with it?"

Prue scratched at her head. "I wouldn't know. Jack always takes care of the take-out for us."

Phoebe shook her head and grinned. "And they don't exactly teach us gourmet or delicatessen in the convent."

"Piper usually adds a pinch of cinnamon in the batter." They all turn around and saw Leo standing on the doorway, holding a bulb.

"Leo?" Prue and Phoebe look at Dan then Leo, and back again. "You two are…in the same house…alive?"

Leo levitates and begins screwing the bulb on the ceiling. "Dammit, Leo, didn't we agree that no powers in the house?"

Prue motions for Phoebe to sit down, and they watch the exchange between the two men. Leo touches the ground and begins explaining why it was inconvenient to haul a ladder when he could float. Dan's point was that he didn't want Peter exposed to the powers while Leo tells him it's too late to worry about it. Prue and Phoebe are speechless, hardly following the flow of conversation and were still struck by the fact that Dan didn't freak out when Leo floated.

They see Peter standing shyly at the corner and everyone stops. "Peter, honey! You've grown so big. Come here to Aunt Prue and Aunt Phoebe." Peter walks forward and embraces them. Phoebe sets the boy away to look at him. "Look at that! How uncanny! You look exactly like—err…" She darts a look at Leo, Dan and Prue, who were all waiting tensely about how she would finish it. "Just like your mom."

Peter smiled. "Mom's got brown hair. And she's got brown eyes too."

"Well," Phoebe replied. "You've got this nice sandy blond hair which isn't that far from brown in the…umm..in the international color wheel. And you've got those nice hazel green eyes. Brown…green… what's the difference, huh?" Phoebe grinned.   


Forbidden (5): Devotion's Futility

"I'll be going now, Peter. Daddy has to go to work. I promise to bring you something, ok?" Peter kisses Dan's cheek and waves goodbye.

"So, when are you taking us to the cemetery?"

"Why don't you two go and wash up? I'll bring you over as soon as I get Peter dressed."   


Dan knelt on the thick green grass of Piper's grave. He closed his eyes and tried to control the rage inside him. He still couldn't believe she was gone. Five years since they buried her, and he still told himself she'd just gone to the store or to a meeting at P3, a thousand miles away. But with the stone beneath his hands he couldn't deny it. Every week he went here, and those hours he spent kneeling like this were the only hours he accepted that she was gone.

"You left me high and dry, Pipe. I keep saying I loved you, but you always thanked me. I had no heart to tell you it wasn't enough. I couldn't complain, because after all, you married me. But did you have to say it? Did those have to be your last words?"

Dan replayed the scene over and over in his mind. "I was there for you. Why couldn't you have given me that consideration?!" He heard her voice in his mind, weak. She was almost gasping for breath then. Her last words. "Tell Leo—tell Leo that—I love him." He shook his head wildly. "Why couldn't you have said that to me? Not once in all the months we were married. You never once told me you reciprocated, Piper." He took several calming breaths. "I'm sorry. I'm not mad at you, honey. I got a little carried away. But I love you so much. And it doesn't matter that you loved him, not me. Because we still ended up together, didn't we?"

Forbidden (6): To See Your Face Again

"Dan! We thought you'd be working!"

Dan's head snapped up, and he hastily wiped the tears away. He touched Piper's name and turned around. "Hey, everyone. I was just passing by. I thought I'd tell her you two are here. Anyway, I'd better go before I'm too late."

Peter runs to him and embraces him again. "Bring me a chocolate."

"If Uncle Leo tells me you've eaten dinner."

"I will." Dan left in his van. He wasn't used to showing emotions to people. Piper was the only one he trusted enough to shed tears for. And now that she's gone, he'd not be crying anymore.

Phoebe and Prue place the flowers on the grave, careful not to trample on the petals Dan had already scattered. "Hey, honey. Phoebe just got leave from the convent, so we only got in yesterday. We met your boy again. He's grown so much! And I know you must know and you're already freaking out. Angelboy and neighbor Dan are living in the same house! I wonder what Leo had to do to make Dan agree."

Phoebe was smiling all the time Prue was speaking. She missed Piper, but she understood life now. There was a serenity about her that she never had before. "I know you're very happy with what's going on, Pipe. Everyone's getting along. Prue is a step from being engaged to Jack, and I'm deliberating on taking my vows already." Phoebe paused and sighed. "I wish you were here, Piper!"

Prue embraced Phoebe. She knew Phoebe entered the convent to find peace when they lost their sister. "Leo, I'll take Phoebe to the car for a while. I don't think she was ready to face up to the truth right away."

Peter watched as his Aunt Prue led Aunt Phoebe away and followed them a short distance. He then saw a butterfly playing with him, and he ran to catch it. Soon, floating a couple of feet off the ground. Leo saw his son suddenly lose touch with the ground, and he glanced around. There were no people in the area but it was still dangerous to use powers out in the open. He ran over and grasped Peter at the waist and pulled him down. "Peter, I told you not to fly in public, or freeze in public."

"Sorry, daddy." He felt a thrill go up his spine again. He may never get used to the sheer refreshing beauty of being called father.

"Now stay here and play without flying." Leo walked back to Piper's grave and sat down. "Hi, honey. I want to tell you that I am so proud of our son. He's the most beautiful child I've ever seen. I only regret that he didn't look like you. Yes, contrary to Phoebe's quick escape tactics, I am aware that sandy hair and hazel eyes make him look like me. His features, jaw, eyebrows, structure, everything mine. I'd have loved it if I could see a little girl who looked exactly like you, but Peter is still the most perfect child I can imagine. His values are astounding. For the way he raised Peter, I know I'd be thankful to Dan forever." The sound of screeching tires brought his head up and at that moment, he knew he was too late. He stood up and began to run. The car jumped over an island and was uncontrollably heading directly at Peter. Even if he orbed, he still wouldn't get there in time to save his son. Almost immediately a blue light appeared beside Peter and lifted him away at that split second. The car careened but managed to speed away.

The woman who saved his son had her back to him. She was assuring herself that he was fine. Leo stood there, his knees almost too weak to support him. Peter saw him and immediately flung himself at him and Leo stooped and embraced the boy tightly, hardly believing that he was all right. Leo's eyes rose to meet those of the woman who saved his son.

Hazel eyes drank in the face that he never thought he would see again. A rise of exultation grew within him. They stare at each other for a long time before a blue light envelops her and she orbs out.

Leo would never forget that moment. Her eyes were so clear in his mind. Love. Anger. Regret. Sadness.

Eyes so brown he could have drowned.   


Forbidden (7): In The Realm of Angels

Leo hands the boy over to Phoebe and Prue. "Take him home. I have an unfinished business to take care of."

Prue holds the boy close to her. All she saw was the car careening close to her nephew. Leo grimly orbs away.

Leo opened his eyes to a glass domed room full of plants all around. A waterfall cascaded in one end and about a dozen variety of birds were flying and walking all around. She was standing by the waterfalls, looking astoundingly lovely in an off while long dress. "Piper."

She turned around, and he caught his breath at the sight of her eyes once more. They were dull and empty, as though seeing him hurt her. A look of betrayal immediately crossed her face and faint blue lights began to play around her.

"Wait! Piper, don't do this to me."

He held his breath, not knowing if she will decide to stay or if she will leave him once again. The blue lights faded, and she stood there quietly, staring at him, waiting for him to speak. He found his mouth suddenly too dry to say anything, but he was aware of her need to hear him. He swallowed hard.

"Sit down."

She looked around and walked towards a marble bench at the center of the dome. "How did you know where I went?"

"This is one of the most beautiful and peaceful places in our realm. I took the chance. I knew you would go here."

She smiled bitterly. "You think you know me so well."

He stood closer to her, and she was intimidated. He was so tall in this position. Leo understood the workings of her mind. Slowly, deliberately, he knelt down in front of her so their eyes would meet levelly.

"There's something I don't know. Why, Piper?" he asked softly. "Five years. All that time we spent apart when we were existing in the same plane all along."

She was uncomfortable with him so close to her. She pulled away. "You know nothing about me. I had no obligation to tell you."

"So cold."

"You're a guiding angel. I'm a guardian. Our paths were not supposed to meet. Forget you ever saw me."

"Do you think I can?!"

"You must. Soon I will be relinquishing Peter to one of you. It slipped my mind that my son would have powers."

"How could it have? Didn't you think a witch and a whitelighter would have a special son?"

All the anger and resentment she had been keeping for five years boiled over. Very softly, she said to him, "I've begun to think of him as a Gordon long before he was born." She stood up and walked away.

Leo's jaw locked and he grabbed her arm. "Never say that!"

"You have no right to tell me what to say! You left me, remember? YOU left ME. I cried for you so many nights…"

"We agreed to part," he answered helplessly.

"I needed you."

Leo didn't answer. Perhaps this was what she needed. At least he knew she existed. At least he knew as long as she felt pain, the love was still fresh in her mind.

Her tears were running down her cheeks, but she was unashamed. She'd needed to cry for years, but she never let herself. It was time she let go.

"All those months of pain. All those hours I was reaching out to you, but you never once came. And that day—I needed you to comfort me. I needed you to tell me that we'll find each other again, Leo. I needed you to hold me while I slip away. I wanted you… I wanted you to kiss me and take my last breath away…"

Leo stared at her and understood her anguish. He needed all those too. And his stubborn pride had kept him away. He let her die without a lover's touch.

Their eyes held the other's as blue light enveloped the two of them and orbed them into separate ends of the realm of the angels.   


Forbidden (8): The Dictates of Heaven

Leo stood at the center of a gray room devoid of any furniture or design. He was alone, standing straight and tall. His voice echoed, bouncing off the walls.

"I demand to know."

"What makes you think you have a right to?"

Leo kept his face expressionless. "Because most of this was your fault. And as I have worked for you for more than half a century, I think I deserve the truth. Why was I never told of this?"

He heard a barely audible sigh. "In truth, Leo, we did not know either. Contrary to what you must think, the Founders of every group do not necessarily tell each other every minor detail when we convene."

"This is no minor detail! A Charmed One dies and she joins the ranks of the Guardians. What is minor about this?"

"Leo, Leo. What may appear as a vital to your mind may be negligible to ours. We have entire populations to think of. No matter how special you may think of yourselves, you are all just a piece of a universal puzzle."

"I know that you have not treated my alliance with her as negligible all these years. If you had, we would not have gone through the separation."

The Founders did not answer for a very long while. Finally they dismissed him. "If that was your only purpose for coming here, Leo, I suggest you leave immediately. We will call you regarding your duties."   
Leo did not move. "What else?"

"I will not go until you give me lave to ask another question and you satisfy me with an answer." The Founders did not reply, and Leo took it as acquiescence. "How may I speak with her? In all my years here I have never met a Guardian until now. I see an Avenger, but not a Death or Mercy. Now that we are both immortals, nothing can keep us apart any longer."   


Piper orbed into a long, narrow, white hallway and leaned against the white washed wall. Tears silently ran a path down her cheeks. Those eyes. They had looked at her as though they saw her very soul. Those hazel eyes seemed to lose a bit of life with every hurtful word, with every blaming statement that she threw at him.

She had loved him so much. She gave him everything and left nothing for herself. She had made the supreme sacrifice and suffering through the agony without him. But she would never forgive him for being absent when it was time to say goodbye. She may have insisted to Dan not to tell him, but he was told. He was told and he chose to stay away. He chose to leave her alone, to abandon her.

She needed to see Peter. She needed to touch him to feel for herself that he was all right. She was glad she was assigned to her own baby. At least Peter, in a strange way, grew up with a mother. She remembered her first months here, when she would collapse in tears whenever she thought of all the events that she would miss. That was when she asked in vain for another death.

A beautiful woman with long white blond hair appeared before her. "You rang, Piper?"

"No," she said hoarsely. "I didn't. My thoughts must have been too loud."

The woman smiled. "I was wondering if you had forgotten about our talk. I already told you I cannot bring you what you already have." The woman leaned to wipe the tears from Piper's face. "Is this about Peter again? We've talked about this too. It's best that he be transferred to a Guiding Angel, a Whitelighter, to be more specific."

"And I tell you time and again that I can handle it. I was a witch, Selena. Even now I can still freeze."

"And the Whitelighters have been trained for this for decades. You're new. Enjoy being a Guardian. Of all the children being born, you'd be very busy in no time at all."

Piper did not have the heart to tell Selena that it was not the child she worried about. From the moment the Angel of Death offered her her hand, they have become true friends. They walk together towards a glass room. Piper saw themselves high up in the air, watching angels floating, bringing baskets and cloths or merely enjoying a leisure time.

"There's Bridget."

"Where?"

"Flying near that group of Guardians."

"Ah. What's she up to?"

"She's an Angel of Mercy. I think she just won a pardon for a criminal and if off to deliver forgiveness." Selena smiled at her. "She often works with me. People tend to call out to her when I am the one they really need. I think they're scared of calling an Angel of Death. But I'm not scary at all."

"No, you're not. Selena, where are the Avenging Angels and the Guiding Angels? Why can we mingle and live among others and we do not see them?"

A shadow crossed Selena's face. "Oh. Well. The Avenging Angels and the Guiding Angels have almost a realm of their own. The Avengers are hard, and they often argue with Angels of Mercy. But the Avengers have to keep their distance from us because they mostly fight for justice. They have no time for sentiment. So are the Guides. No bias. Everything they know must be noble and according to the rules. By keeping them isolated well away from us, they remain unaffected be our ideals and focus on their jobs."

"Are you all right?"

Selena shook off her trancelike stare and smiled at Piper. "I am. It's just that I remembered my Avenger. It's been so long. I did not know the rules and I fell in love. I'm glad I've finally recovered from that. Let me warn you right now never to fall in love with an Avenger or a Guide. The dictates of Heaven have labeled it forbidden."   


Piper lay on Peter's bed, singing a lullaby softly with the child in her arms. She made sure that Dan was out before she began her song, because she could not cloak herself from him while remaining visible to Peter. Dan would panic at the sight of her, and Piper knew that he did not deserve that. She needed him to move on with his life. Sometimes she even regretted pulling him into the complexities of hers.

Peter had fallen asleep but Piper continued to sing to him and stroke his hair. She missed this aspect of being a mother. She was never allowed to watch her baby's growth from within the circle of her arms. The door opened and she quickly glanced up. Leo was staring at her. She became conscious of the sudden smallness of the room when he entered. This was her real family. The father sat beside her and her baby. She motioned for him not to speak. "I cannot pull my arms from under him without waking him up."

Leo leaned down to lift Peter away from her. His arms brushed her and she caught her breath. Piper stood up and Leo placed Peter gently down on the bed. They exit the room and enter Piper's untouched one. "You were beautiful. I regret that I wasn't able to see you like that when he was born."

"Don't regret it," she answered quietly. "I was much worse by that time. I would not have wanted you to have seen those months."

"It would have been worth it to be with you."

"We can't do this."

"We can't not do this. I love you."

They were standing so close, and they felt that indescribable pull towards the other. Leo saw a tear threatening to fall from Piper's eye, and he caught it with his finger. Immediately upon touching his skin to hers, he pulled her in his arms in an almost desperate move. They kissed each other hungrily. All the pain, passion and love that have been stored for five years were brought to the fore. They fell back on the bed and loved each other in the only way available to them.

They didn't even notice that they were both crying all the while.   


Forbidden (9): No Regrets

Leo wrapped his arms around Piper's waist as she looked out the window. "I don't regret it."

"I found out today."

"I did too."

"So this was because of the dictates?"

"This was because we have been in love for an eternity, and because we will be in love beyond infinity."

Piper's hand touched her forehead. "I cannot believe how cruel fate is to us. She's playing with us, Leo. She's been playing with us from the very first life we led."

"To be soulmates who are forever forbidden? Yes. But at least she allows us to find each other."

Tears fell down her eyes. "I'm so tired of the injustice of it all, Leo. We were meant to be together!" Piper sighed. "We have to put a stop to this now. We cannot see each other anymore. I can't be with you and not love you. And I can't love you without breaking more rules."

"We've broken enough rules in our lifetime."

"And maybe that's why fate keeps tearing us apart. If we make this effort to play straight, maybe next time—"

Leo saw the logic in Piper's statement. He caught her face in his hands and pulled her close for a long kiss. "I'm sorry for not being there. I wanted—"

She hushes him with a finger to his lips. "I love you. The pain we go through…it's all part of the masterplan. I understand it now. I know you love me more than anything. I know you suffered as much as I did. And now I don't want us pulled away from each other anymore, so we live by the rules this time and see each other in the next incarnation."

"But we will not be reincarnated, Piper."

Piper's face fell. "Then what? What do we do to make this stop? This whole thing is a lunacy!"

Leo touches her features. "We'll find a way." He kisses her softly on the lips. "Until then we have to try to stay apart. That kiss has to last us until we find a solution," he says and stand up.

"Wait." Piper kisses him long and hard at the lips. She pulls away and pats his chest. "I needed some as reserve. Go." Leo orbs out.

Piper washes her face in the sink, and goes back to Peter's room. She smiles as she sees him curled on the bed, sucking his thumb in his sleep. Gently he pulled away his hand from his mouth and toweled it dry. She kissed his forehead and felt a familiar rush of love.

"It won't hurt anyone." She lay beside him and pulled him into her arms again. Blissfully she fell asleep with her son cradled against her.   


Prue and Phoebe arrived from a trip to the mall. Prue bought a whole new wardrobe and she noticed Phoebe looking upset by her purchases.

"Phoebe, you do understand that I need these clothes, don't you?" Phoebe nodded. "Then why the look?" She shook her head. "Come on, Pheebs. You can tell me."

"I—It's been five years, Prue."

"Oh honey, I know that. I thought you already found your peace and accepted it when you decided to join."

"That's just it." Phoebe answered, as they entered Dan's house. "It's been five years, and—I'm not sure if I can, Prue."

"Accept it?"

"Go through with this. I mean, I'm thankful for the peace this experience has brought me but I just—I want to wear new clothes again. I want to go out. I know you must be disapp—"

"Phoebe!" Prue laughed and embraced her sister. "You're back!"

Phoebe smiled at Prue. "I've accepted that Piper's gone." They climbed the stairs to put the bags in their room. "Hey, let's go check on Peter first. Leo's nowhere around. I thought he was going to stay with him."

Prue turned to open the door to Peter's room. "Leo probably took Peter with him. I mean, he'd never leave his son alone."

"You're right. Come on." Prue closed the door and she and Phoebe both entered their rooms.

Phoebe stared at herself in the mirror. And then she raised she eyes up to the sky and smiled. Grinning, she walked towards her closet and removed the clothes there. One by one she raised them up for inspection. Not two minutes later, she was sitting on the bed, looking sadly at all the clothes in the floor with distaste. There was a knock on the door and she hurriedly answered it. It was Prue, bearing a bag from the mall.

"You know, Phoebe, I didn't buy all those for me."

Phoebe took the bag and looked at the contents. "Prue! Thank you." She embraced her sister and closed the door, trying the clothes on pair by pair.

Prue stared at the door on her face. She was happy that Phoebe finally decided to stay with her. She would have missed two sisters if Phoebe decided to take her vows. She felt the urge to check on Peter. Who knew what trouble called Leo away? There was always the possibility that Leo left his son because of an emergency.

Prue opened the door to Peter's room, smiling. The smile faded at once and her heart skipped a couple of beats.

"Phoebe! Phoebe!" She cried, panicking.

She heard Phoebe running. The woman on the bed rose at once, awakened by her voice.

"Prue," she said, surprised. She didn't know what to do. Peter was disturbed by Prue's yelling and woke up crying. Piper took him in her arms. "Hello, Phoebe." Piper smiled at her younger sister, who only just arrived. Phoebe closed her eyes tightly and opened them again.

"Hey, what are you two doing there? Why is Peter crying?"

Piper heard heavy footsteps running up the stairs and the sound of Dan's voice. She immediately orbed out, leaving Peter on the bed. Dan entered the room and lifted Peter into his arms.

"What was it?" he asked the sisters.

"He must have had a bad dream."

Dan walked around the room, rocking Peter in his arms to calm him. "What was it, baby? Did you dream?" Peter shook his head and mumbled incoherently. "Can I take him to your room, Prue? I just took the sheets off my bed to change before I left. Peter should be in different surroundings right now."

"Sure, Dan."

Dan and Peter were in Prue's room when Peter suddenly reared up in Dan's arms. He pointed to a framed picture of Piper on the dresser. Dan smiled and showed him the picture. "That's mommy, Peter."

"Nooo."

"Yes, it is, Peter."

"Lady."

"Mommy."

Peter shook his head. "Mommy looks different. This is the lady in my room."

Dan's forehead creased and he took the picture and Peter to Piper's room. He looked around and saw that a child would almost not recognize the sudden difference in Piper's looks. Prue's picture of Piper was taken when Piper was still healthy, and all of Dan's pictures of his wife were taken when she was already heavy with Peter and very ill.

Prue entered Piper's room. "I was wondering where you two went."

Dan looked at Prue worriedly. "Peter claims that Piper is the lady he sees in his room every night."

Prue shook her head. There was a reason why they saw Piper, and no matter how much Dan knew already, she wasn't sure if Piper would want Dan to know everything. "That can't be, Peter. Okay, listen to Aunt Prue, honey."

"No!"

"I'm worried. Where's Leo? Maybe he can talk to Peter."   


Forbidden (10) : Staying Away

Dan touches the framed picture of Piper on his desk. Since Peter pointed at it in Prue's room, the pain and memories he had long thought buried came flooding back full force. He'd spent hours remembering the feel of her in his arms, the sound of her voice, and the picture of her smile. Whereas before remembering her gave him a bittersweet longing, now it brought him much more than that. Today that longing was overshadowed by a rush of guilt.

His finger traced the smiling lips caught frozen in the photograph. "I never imagined that when we're finally together, we'll be torn apart by something as lasting as this. Love isn't enough to describe the pull I felt towards you from the very first moment I saw you. But now, I don't know what I'm feeling now. This woman has me under some sort of spell." He softly chuckled. "No, not that sort of spell. She's no witch like you, if I'm to believe what Leo tells me. It's hard not to, when he and Peter are flying all over the place. Anyway, I'll fight this, Piper. I promised you that you'll be the only one I'll love. And I'll be true to that. I miss you." Dan drew out his wallet and took another picture from behind the one of Piper and Peter. It was of a lovely woman with red hair and a sweet smile. "You would have loved her if you met her. Such a generous spirit." He inserted the picture behind Piper and Peter's again. "But she can't compare to you."   


"Are you sure she'll be here?" Phoebe asked. "This place is so public." Peter's hand was clutched in hers as they walked down the mall.

"Of course, Phoebe. I mean, we just saw her. I'm sure she'll want to clarify what's happening with us. And the mall is the best place to do that because no one will think that a ghost or whatever she is now is walking among the people here."

"Toyland!" Peter pulled her aunts towards the shop.

They followed Peter, whispering to each other. "Did you bring your credit cards?"

Peter looked at the variety of toy airplanes on display. Prue and Phoebe grinned as they watched over him. Phoebe's attention was caught by a monkey with cymbals. "Prue, look at this. It's so cute. It looks like Dan!" Prue burst out laughing. "Buy it. It'd be our thank you to Dan for letting us stay in his place while we're visiting Peter."

Prue gave her her credit card and turned around. "Phoebe, where's Peter? Peter!"

"Oh no!" Phoebe ran down the isle and looked for him everywhere. "Where is he?" After several minutes of searching, they decided to report the loss to the customer service. Phoebe and Prue waited at the office for someone to tell them where he might be.

"Anyone who's found a lost boy wearing a Mariners' shirt and blue jeans, please take him to customer service."

A couple of minutes later, they came, "I'm very disappointed at the two of you."

"Piper!"

"Ma'am, is this the boy you're looking for?"

Prue stuttered, "Ah yes, yes. It's no problem. That's his mother. Thank you for, for your help."

"You're welcome, ma'am."

Piper smiled at her sisters. "Hello, Prue, Phoebe. I think you owe us a plane for losing my baby, huh?"

Prue took the toy airplane Peter was holding. "Sure. Yeah."

"Okay. And afterwards treat us to…hmmm... Where do you wanna go, Petey?"

Phoebe held up a finger. "Oh no, Pipe, he doesn't want to be called Petey."

Peter grinned at her and embraced Piper. "It's okay when my mommy calls me Petey, Aunt Beebee."

Phoebe shook her head. And she thought grown men were hard to understand.

"Let's go to McDonald's."

"Yeck," Phoebe gagged. "But that's one fine choice, Petey." Peter glowered at her. "I mean, Peter."

As they walked towards the store, Piper was talking. "…and now I'm a Guardian."

"Give me some money, Prue. I want to go buy the food. It's been so long since I've gone to the counter." Piper takes the orders and leaves.

Prue and Phoebe are still staring at each other in disbelief. This was more than they had asked for. A man sat with them. "Hey girls."

"Aah! Leo!" Prue slapped his arm. "How many times do you have to be told not to do that?"

"You're too jumpy." Leo grinned.

"Being exposed to all sorts of demons makes me jumpy!"

"Fine. I'm sorry." His demeanor suddenly turned serious. "Listen, there's a problem with Peter. Someone wants him—"

"Here you go," Piper announced, putting the tray down. A waiter followed her with another tray, and Phoebe could swear he was checking out her sister, the angel.

"Keep your eyes to yourself, kid," Leo warned gruffly. The waiter put the tray down and scurried away.

Piper was surprised to see him. "Leo!" Their eyes held, but they made no attempt to touch each other.

"Piper."

"You know about this, Leo?" Prue demanded.

"I only just found out too."

"This is great for you two, guys. Piper's no longer a witch, so—"

"Our relationship is strictly business now, Pheebs," Piper interrupted.

"Okay," Phoebe said, munching of a fry.

"So what did you come here to say?"

Leo looked at Piper in the eye. "Our son is in danger. Someone will be sent to destroy him."

"The power of three will protect him."

"You can still freeze?"

In answer, Piper froze the entire room and unfroze Leo. "Does that answer you question?"

"Look, Peter didn't freeze," Phoebe cried.

"Are you crazy? Unfreeze the room Piper. Have you forgotten that these walls are made of glass?"

Piper unfroze the room. "I need go. I have to have an update on whether or not they're taking the charge of Peter away from me." Piper walks towards the restroom to orb.

They watch her go. Leo stands up. "And I need to ask the Founders to give me more details about this demon after my son." He goes to a secluded corner and orbs out.   


Piper walks down the white narrow corridor on the way to the room where the others were. Leo suddenly orbs beside her.

"What are you doing here? You're not supposed to be here."

"I know. Help me keep up this pretense, Piper."

Immediately their lips met, and Piper's hands went up to his hair. "Pretending is hard." They were so engrossed with each other. Piper felt her back against the wall. She was kissing him just as madly as he was kissing her. A few minutes later they pulled away and breathed in to calm themselves.

"I'm sorry. I couldn't stay away from you long."

"I'm glad you can't, because this is killing me."

Leo touched her hair. "I'm close, so close. We'll find a way to be together. But first we should worry about Peter."

"Yes. Go. I have some things to do myself. I love you." Leo orbs out and Piper saw Selena standing there. She was blocked by Leo's frame so she didn't notice at once.

Selena shook her head. "A Guardian and a Guide. That's not only forbidden, that's a first. How did you even meet when they're not supposed to see us."

Piper blushed. "He's my son's father."

Selena was amused. "When I came to you and asked you to take my hand that day, I don't remember that Guide being the one who was with you."

Piper looked away. "When you held out your hand to me, I knew I was dying."

Selena looked to be deep in thought. "I remember!"

"What?"

"That Guide. I saw him that day."

"You must be mistaken. He wasn't there."

"I have a pretty good memory, Piper. He was there. He opened the door at the very same moment you put your hand in mine."

Forbidden (11) : Angels Falling From The Sky

Bridget hurries down the corridor with a man following close behind her. "You have to do something about this, Bridget!"

"I know! I'm looking for her right now. There she is. Yooohoo!" she called, waving to Piper. They stopped in front of her and Selena. "We've been looking for you."

"Why?"

"You're Piper, right?"

"Yes."

"You don't know me but Selena does. I'm—"

"Yes, she pointed you out to me."

"Okay. We need your help. Your husband's pleas are still ringing in my ears. And Cupid here's been after me for some days now."

Piper is startled. "Cupid?"

The man grinned at her. "Remember me?"

"Ahh, yes. Hi."

He smiled. "So I guess my little venture in the Halliwell home worked huh? You ended up with the neighbor after all. I'm only sorry you had to..umm…"

"Die?"

"Yes, that's it."

Selena laughed. "Yeah, Piper, at least you ended up with Dan." Piper glared at her.

"So what do you two need my help for?"

"This will be hard for you, I know. But you have to let Dan go."

"Excuse me?"

Bridget looked at the ceiling, so Cupid sighed and explained. "Dan's been pleading for forgiveness for a few weeks because he feels that he's done a great sin against you by falling in love. Now Bridget won't go and give him mercy because he didn't really sin. And I find myself at a loss because he won't do as I, or rather his heart, tells him because he feels that he's sinning." Piper thought it over. "Let's not be selfish here, Piper. No matter how much the two of you loved each other, you're dead and he's alive." Suddenly Cupid frowned. "Wait a minute! I remember something… Aren't you the one with—"

Selena interrupted. "She's the one with the soulmate."

Cupid shook his head and embraced her. Piper's eyes widened. "I'm sorry I couldn't help you." He pulled away. "So this will be no problem to you at all. Dan wasn't really the one."

"I was going to say that but you kept going."

Cupid raised his hands in mock surrender. "I got carried away. So…how's your sister?"   


Dan tossed and turned in bed. Suddenly, a strange calm overcame him. He smiled and drifted into a deeper sleep.   


Dan arrives at home and leads Valerie in. He spots Prue and Phoebe on the couch and blushes.

"Prue, Phoebe, this is my date Valerie. Val, meet my former sisters-in-law."

Prue and Phoebe smile at her and shake hands. Dan leaves them to get Peter. "So you're Piper's sisters."

"Oh, he's told you about her already?"

Valerie smiled. "Yes. We've been friends for a couple of years now. He loved her so much."

"And you're okay with this?" Prue asked, as Valerie walked to the fireplace and looked at a family photo of Dan, Piper and Peter.

"Well, yes. I can't be jealous of a ghost now, can I? I'm even thankful to her because who knows what sort of man Dan would be now if she hadn't once been part of his life. And she gave him Peter, who makes Dan so happy. From everything I've heard from Dan, I know we would have been great friends if we met."

Peter got to the living room, laughing and running. Dan arrived soon after. "You beat me again, Peter." He took Peter's hand and introduced her to him. "Meet my friend Valerie, Peter. She'll be coming with us."

"Nice to meet you, ma'am."

Soon, Peter was regaling Valerie with tales of his countless toys, and Valerie listened patiently. Prue and Phoebe were glad that Dan found someone. They were even happier he found a woman like Valerie.   


Piper entered the room where some of the higher angels were gathered. They were there to hear about her plea.

"I will care for my son. He knows me, and I have my powers as a witch."

One of the elder whitelighters spoke. "But we have trained our whitelighters to specifically protect against the forces that will come after your son. We have not only the responsibility, but the right to have him in our charge."

"What makes you say that?"

"Peter is Leo's son. We're all aware of that."

"And he's mine too. I have as much—"

Leo orbed into the middle of the proceedings. "Leo, this is highly inappropriate!"

"I'm sorry. But I need to take Piper now. While you're all here discussing who could best oversee my son, he's been taken."

"What?" Piper cried. "Leo—"

Leo hushed her with a finger on her lips. "We'll figure this out next time. Right now, we need to look for our son."   


Dan held his head in his hands. Valerie massages his shoulders. "They just came out of nowhere and took him."

"Ummm, Dan, maybe you should take Valerie home. You know…because LEO might help us look for Peter."

"Oh. Yeah." Dan stood up and rubbed his eyes. Dan left with Valerie.

Piper orbed in with Leo. "What now?"

"We look for him."

"So, we have no idea what took Peter."

"How about the demon I was telling you about?"

"I checked it out. I don't believe it's them."

Red lights seemed to play at one corner of the room. "Guys," cried Phoebe. "Do any of you know what red orbs indicate?!" The red lights faded and a tall, black haired man stood in Dan's living room.   


Forbidden (12): Angels in Rebellion

The red light gathered and faded. The tall black haired man stood in Dan's living room.

"Who are you?" cried Phoebe.

The man smiled grimly and nodded to Leo. "The Whitelighter knows me. I am the Avenging Angel Marcus. I came here to tell you not to worry about Peter. He hasn't been taken by demons. We have him in our convention, Leo."

Piper is so relieved that she collapses against Leo. "Thank God!"

Leo holds her close and asks, "How may we get him?"

"I'm sorry. We may have to keep your son for a while. We're holding him hostage until the Founders give us what we want. Most of the Avengers agree with me. There has been enough dictates to last us a hundred eternities. By holding Peter, we are holding both conventions in our hands."

"Why my son?"

"That's simple. He has blood from both conventions. Leo's from the Whitelighter-Avenger convention and yours from the Guardians, Death and Mercy faction."

"I don't understand," says Leo. "I had no idea this sort of unrest was even brewing."

"Of course. You've spent more time here on Earth breaking the rules than you have up there following them. It's time to bring down the tyrranical rule of the Founders, Leo."

"What prompted this?"

About a dozen more red lights swirled behind Marcus. The lights formed into other angels. "We've been ready for months. We've planned this for so long. Leo, it's time to show the Founders that holding us too tightly can kill." Marcus sneered. "Them." The Avengers behind him nodded. Soon, they all orbed out.

Phoebe sat down heavily on the couch. "I cannot believe what I just saw! How could angels be so malicious and spiteful?"

"They must have had enough," Piper whispered.

"That's still no cause to turn against Heaven, Piper. We've been played foul before, but we never rebelled. I can't bear to think about Peter now, in their clutches. They'll use him to manipulate the Founders, and they'll give in. They would never let an innocent get hurt."

Piper announces, "I'm orbing and getting my son out of there."

"No! Piper, honey, listen to me. We need a plan. You can't go in blindfolded. Leo and Phoebe are here. We'll all help you. We'll never let anything happen to Peter."

"This is so much harder than fighting evil."

"There's nothing harder to beat than good turned bad."

After a few minutes of discussion, they decided that Phoebe will orb with Piper and that Prue will orb with Leo. They are soon in the Whitelighter convention room. The four hide behind pillars so they will not be seen.

Marcus is standing on a platform. The Avengers behind him are each holding a Whitelighter Founder. "Hear me, Whitelighters. You have been guides for long decades, some of you even centuries. You have served and served well. But this is too much. We respect your free will, unlike these old men. All those who wish to join us in our struggle against this tyranny, step forward." None did. Leo smiled from his hiding place. He is suddenly so proud of his friends. The Avengers are disgusted and stride out. The four orb to Piper's convention.

Selena spots Piper and runs to embrace her.

"You're all right! I thought they hurt you when I didn't see you here. The Founders have taken the powers of all their Angels here. The Avengers gave that as condition so they will not hurt your son. Now we can do nothing. They've locked us in without the powers to orb."

"Where is he?"

"They kept him. I don't know where."

Piper offers her hand to Selena. "Come. We'll all orb you out of this room. They didn't count on us coming to the rescue." Leo offers his hand to one of the angels.

Soon, all the angels were freed. They returned for the Whitelighters. They all agreed that the Avengers must be crushed.

Forbidden (13) : War in the Heavens

The Angels strode into the convention where the Founders are being held. Piper sighs in relief when she sees Peter unhurt at the other side of the room.

"You've freed them all."

"Yes, Marcus," replied Leo. "This is a crime. You have no right to overthrow powers founded by two millennia. We've come to free the Founders."

Marcus steps down and walks towards him. "You think I don't know about you? I am doing this not just for the Avenging Angels but for all of you. Have you never felt the injustice of the dictates." Leo feels Piper's eyes on him. Marcus touches Piper's cheek. "It was better when you were mortals. You could delude yourself into thinking that in the next life, there's hope for you. But now you're immortals, destined to live forever. And you have been dictated to stay away." His eyes touch Selena's. "In a Heaven without these Founders, you will be free to love whom you choose to love. We will be free to mingle with the other. The Angels of Mercy and the Avenging Angels working together! Think of that Utopia!"

Another angel touches Leo's shoulder. He turns around to see a fellow Whitelighter. "You've done so much for us already, Leo. Know that whatever you decide to do now, we'll all be behind you."

"Yes," agreed another Whitelighter.

"I agree," said an Angel of Death.

Murmured agreements rise up from the din. Marcus sneers. They were playing right into his hands. Of course, the star-crossed lovers will not let this opportunity pass. Piper and Leo's eyes meet. As they looked into the other's eyes, they knew immediately what the choice will be. Tears fell from Piper's eyes as she smiled at Leo. Leo caught her in his arms and kiss her softly, without thought to time or space, forgetting that they were caught amidst the largest rebellion in the universe.

Marcus smirked as he watched them kiss. He had succeeded. The Guardian and the Whitelighter pulled away from each other. Leo nodded to the Whitelighters. Piper turned her head away and nodded to the other Angels. The Avenging Angels were at once surrounded, ten to one. The Founders released the powers and the Avengers were suddenly helpless against the mob of angels.

Selena shakes her head at Marcus. "I understand why you did this, Marcus, but I can never forgive you. You've given up a beautiful life and a better chance. You were such a good speaker, yet you didn't even try talking to them first." Selena offers him her hand. Marcus did not take it. Selena sighs heavily. The Avengers burst into flames. "Choices," she muttered.   


Forbidden (14) : The Thousandth Goodbye

Piper embraced Peter and kissed his forehead. "I'm really going to miss you, baby."

Peter wrapped his arms around her. "Mommy! Mommy! Don't leave me. Please, mommy!"

"Hush, sweetie, I have to. I don't want to, but I have to."

"Why?"

"Well when you were a baby, I was already made to leave you. But I didn't. Now I really have to go because there's someone else who's going to take care of you." Piper tried to pull away from Peter but he won't let go. She bit her lips to keep from crying. "Prue. Prue, take Peter. Please, Prue."

Prue pulled Peter away. "I love you, Piper."

"I love you, Prue. Don't worry. I'll still be watching."

"I know."

Piper turned and saw Phoebe looking out the window. "Phoebe. No joining some convent against your will now, okay?" Phoebe ran to Piper and embraced her. "Don't cry, Beebee. We'll see each other again. No matter how hard it'll be, I'll fight to be allowed to watch you."

"I love you, Piper. I don't want you to go."

"I have to go now. It's not fair to the others. I'm dead, Phoebe. I can't live with you as though nothing happened."

"And Leo?"

"Leo and I are…forbidden. Nothing changed."

"Piper, please don't go."

Piper closed her eyes. "I love you all so much."   


Leo orbed into Dan's office. Dan was drawing some blueprints for a building scheduled for September.

"Dan."

Dan's pencil slipped and the picture was ruined. He took an eraser and calmly erased the mess. "I told you not to keep on doing that."

"It will be the last time. Don't worry."

Dan looked up. "What do you mean?"

"They're calling me. They're sending another Whitelighter to take over. He won't be staying in your house though."

"I see."

"Dan." Leo extended his hand. "Thank you for taking care of my son. I know I couldn't have done any better."

Dan took Leo's hand and shook it.   


Leo orbed into the living room to say goodbye to Peter. He saw Piper talking to Phoebe.

"Hey, Peter."

"Daddy!" the boy wailed. Peter clung to him. Piper turned and watched. "Don't go. Mommy's leaving me. Please don't leave me, Daddy. If you love me, you won't go!"

"Peter. Peter, look at me." The boys moist hazel eyes looked straight into Leo's intense ones. "I love you. And so does Mommy. In fact, we love you more than anything."

"So you won't leave me?"

Leo held a finger at the boy's lips. "But there comes the time that no matter how much you love someone, you have to leave them. This is one of those times. Now I know you'll miss your mommy singing you lullabies before you sleep. And I know you'll want to go out and fly with me." We wiped away a tear that trickled down the boy's cheek. "And me. Well, I'll miss just bathing you up." His voice grew hoarse. "Or fixing your plane when you forget to freeze it in the air." He ruffled the boy's hair. "And I'll miss seeing this hair grow like mine." Leo motioned for Piper to come closer. Piper knelt with him in front of Peter. "How about you, mommy? Will you miss Peter too?"

Piper begins to cry hard. "I'll miss tucking you in bed. And calling you Petey. I'll cry at night when I remember how it felt when you fall asleep on my arm. And then I'll remember how sloppy you kiss, honey, and I'll cry even harder. Petey, I'll cry without stopping just because you're my baby and I can't be with you.

"Come here, baby, let mommy sing you a lullaby one last time." Peter embraces Piper and Leo helps her stand. She sits on the couch and pats him. She begins the simple lullaby, tears trickling down the corner of her eye. "Hush little baby, don't say a word. Mama's gonna buy you a mockingbird. And if that mockingbird don't sing, Mama's gonna buy you a diamond ring. And if that diamond ring turns brass, Mama's gonna buy you a looking glass." Leo reaches to her and wipes the tears. "And if that looking glass gets broke, Mama's gonna buy you a horse and yoke. And if that horse and yoke don't pull, Mama's gonna buy you a cart and bull. And if that cart and bull turns over, Mama's gonna buy you a dog named Rover. And if that dog named Rover won't bark, you're still the—you're still---you're still the swee—" Piper's voice broke. The tears were flowing freely and nonstop now. She couldn't continue.

Leo presses a kiss on her lips and rubs his eyes. "And if that dog named Roved won't bark, you're still the sweetest baby in town."

Piper puts Peter down to sleep on the couch. She presses a kiss on his forehead. "I love you, Petey."

Leo does the same. "I love you, Peter, and always remember that Daddy's so proud of you."

Piper touches Leo's face. "And I love you. No matter how far apart we are, I'll always love you."

Leo's forehead touches Piper's as he pulls her into his arms. "I love you more than anything. Goodbye, Piper."

"Goodbye, Leo."

Yellow light appeared and Selena emerges. "Leo. Piper."

Phoebe and Prue had turned their faces away since Leo and Piper began their goodbyes to Peter. Now they looked questioningly at Selena.

"Heaven is thankful for your sacrifice. Now we thought that you deserved something in reward. You exchanged an eternity of loving for the greater good."

"We didn't exchange them. We will love for eternity no matter how far apart we are."

Selena smiled. "I've been tasked to give you a chance. Take my hand and you will take a gamble. Live again, love again, hurt again. I'm offering you an out to this immortality you're cursing now." Selena offered both her hands.

Piper caught her breath and looked at Leo. She'd been through this before. To take the hand of an Angel of Death will bring you death. And another chance at life. She saw in Leo's eyes the same excitement. She turned to Prue and Phoebe.

"I want to do this."

They nod. "You deserve it, you two."

Piper returns to Leo, who had nodded to her sisters. He wrapped her in his arms. "I'm afraid, Leo."

"Don't be. It'll be just another journey. Remember, look for me." They were in each other's arms, their lips met and their free hands were laid on Selena's. They all vanish.

Prue runs and kneels at the floor where they stood before vanishing. She takes the dust in her hands and turns to Phoebe, smiling through her tears. "Ashes to ashes."   


Epilogue : And So The Journey Begins Again

"Hey, come in, Phoebe. Is this your son? He's big already." Valerie ruffles the two-year-old boy's hair. "Prue, did you bring the kids?"

"No. Their father adores the little tykes. Won't let them out of his sight."

"Dan, they're here."

They all sit at the table and Dan serves dishes suspiciously looking like they came straight from Piper's recipe book. "Is Peter in school?"

"Yeah. He's off at twelve. He'll be here anytime."

"We wanted to thank you two."

"For what?" Valerie smiled.

"Well," Prue smiled mistily. "You named your newborn Piper. It really means a lot to us."

"Piper means a lot to our family. We kind of think of her as the children's Guardian Angel."

Phoebe choked. Prue offered her some drinks. She looked around, "Where is he?"

Peter entered the room and put down his backpack. "Hey Aunt Pheebs, Aunt Prue."

"Hi, Peter. Did you see your cousin?"

"Oh yeah, I passed by him in the living room. He's feeding Piper."

"I wanna see this!" Phoebe said. The rest of the party stood up too and went to the living room.

There they saw Phoebe's son kissing Dan's baby Piper on the forehead and holding the bottle to her lips. "I'll watch over you always, Pwiper," the boy promised in his high two-year old voice.

Prue grinned. Phoebe was suddenly overcome with emotion. She walks to her son and whispers, "Yes, Leo, you'll take care of Piper always, won't you?" She smiled and thought, "The search is over, huh? It's time to love again." 


End file.
